A Life of Pi animal monitor is no longer in her post following a report that
animals in Hollywood films suffer mistreatment, despite assurances that 'no
animals were harmed'

An animal monitor for the film Life of Pi is no longer in her post after allegations emerged about mistreatment of the tiger that starred in the blockbuster.

The Hollywood Reporter has claimed that an employee, who apparently sent an email confessing that the animal "damn near drowned" on set, is no longer employed by the American Humane Assocation (AHA).

On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter published an investigation claiming that, despite assurances from AHA that "no animals were harmed" in the making of many Hollywood films, there are in fact several cases of mistreatment and animal death in the industry.

The report's opening allegation highlighted an email apparently sent by AHA monitor Gina Johnson, suggesting that King, the Bengal tiger used during filming of Life of Pi, had almost drowned during production. It reads:

"The worst thing was that last week we almost f---ing killed King in the water tank. This one take with him went really bad and he got lost trying to swim to the side. Damn near drowned. … I think this goes without saying but DON'T MENTION IT TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY THE OFFICE. I have down-played the f--- out of it."

The report makes further claims that up to 27 animals used during Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey perished during a hiatus in filming, including sheep and goats that died from dehydration, exhaustion or drowning.

It also alleges that "the AHA has awarded its 'No Animals Were Harmed' credit to films and TV shows on which animals were injured during production. It justifies this on the grounds that the animals weren’t intentionally harmed or the incidents occurred while cameras weren’t rolling".

A statement released by AHAon Monday responds to the allegations and says the report "paints a picture that is completely unrecognisable to us or anyone who knows American Humane Association's work. Far from allowing abuse or neglect to occur, we have a remarkably high safety record of 99.98 per cent on set."